3rd Annual Gratitude Migration Summer Dream Festival Returns to hELLO Beach, NJ; Announces Lineup

The highly remarkable beachside arts and music festival,Gratitude Migration: Summer Dream, returns to the Jersey shore this July for its third annual installment. Packed with a diverse lineup featuring crowd favorites and undiscovered talent, the communally immersive festival announced this year’s theme, “United in Gratitude.”

Returning to “hELLO Beach” in Keansburg, New Jersey, Gratitude Migration is the evolution of Brooklyn-based warehouse event “Gratitude NYC” from an underground party to a three-day camping festival. The mission-driven focus of the organizers is on bridging the gaps between creative city-dwelling communities and the local town. Fusing the principles of Burning Man with the accessibility and proximity of New York City, the Gratitude Migration ethos brings the practice of gratitude as well as an exchange of cultural, creative, and community values to under-served communities.

Festival Co-Founder and Creative Director, Drew Meeks, envisions a creative utopia where everyone can truly experience the beauty of life, realize limitless capabilities, and forge deep and meaningful connections with fellow travelers. “Over the past two years, Gratitude Migration has carefully cultivated a near-legendary vibe, characterized by warm acceptance and granting freedom to be the most authentic expression of our true selves,” says Meeks.

Gratitude Migration’s uniqueness stems from immersive experiences that fuse art, music, performance and intention into memorable moments that unite strangers and create community.

Artist collaborators build domes, stages, and other necessary structures that become a canvas for gatherings, both spontaneous and planned – including drum circles, live music jams, dance parties, or meditation workshops. This year, Gratitude Migration has also expanded the Mind-Body-Spirit portion of programming, providing added space for mindfulness and personal growth. The return of the popular School of Dreams will feature talks and panels, as well as dedicated domes for yoga classes, meditation workshops, sound healings, and dance. With a key focus on the importance of living life with Gratitude, the festival is interwoven with intention as well as creativity.

“The interactive art and immersive environments are necessary for the Gratitude experience. The groundbreaking, educational approach to Gratitude’s content inspires people to walk away with enriched lives, new ideas, new friends, and new life practices for a better world. All art installations and environments are carefully designed and curated to facilitate Gratitude’s four core principles of human connection, positive transformation, creative expression, and mindful living,” says Tigerlily, Art and Experiential Director.

The Summer Dream 2017 lineup features diverse musical acts headlined by popular producer Moon Boots, with returning artists Anna Morgan, David Starfire, and Mateo sharing the stage with local favorites The Golden Pony and David Kiss. Tasha Blank of The Get Down will appear on the Gratitude Stage while Ecstatic Dance NYC takes on the Sacred Dance Temple. Two smaller sound stages, curated by theme camps JunXion, and Lightning Society will keep crowds going into the wee hours of the morning, with JunXion presenting an array of global beats and Lightning Society curating the best of deep house music. The live music stage at the Biergarten, headlined by the Brooklyn Gypsies, features an eclectic mix of global sounds and talented up-and-comers.

With an avid commitment to the Burning Man principles of Leave No Trace and Civic Responsibility, it is the goal of Gratitude Migration to avoid waste by encouraging participants to bring reusable water bottles and remove all trash on departing. These eco-initiatives tie tightly with the Keansburg Borough economic goals of cleaning up the beach and attracting more tourists, guests and even investors to the town.

Festival Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Avi Werde, works in close collaboration with the Borough of Keansburg to ensure the beach is left clean and all participants enjoy a safe and stress-free experience. “We love working with the local community. The people of Keansburg receive us with open arms, and it makes coming back each year special,” he said. This year the team promises to focus on improvements in ensuring the event is sustainable and leaves a positive impact on the natural environment.

“We see Gratitude Migration as much more than a huge party on the beach,” says Rishe Groner, Director of Marketing and Communications. “The next step for us is to make a greater impact with a focus on human connection, mindful living, and creative expression. We aim to empower and inspire everyone we touch, to change their reality, and change the world.”

Tickets are currently on sale for an audience that will cap at 3,000 per day, creating demand for what promises to be summer’s most exciting – and fulfilling – event.